France
Second in power only to the British Commonwealth, France is a unitary republic that prides itself on being the champion of liberty, equality and fraternity — the very watchwords of its aspirations ever since the 1798 revolution. Yet, its role in the world is increasingly at odds at its lofty aspirations: France is forced to suppress indigenous independence movements in its colonies, even as the fracticious nature of domestic politics threaten to cripple the nation as a whole. Much effort and many sacrifices will have to be made to preserve French freedom, and very soon enough, for global events have taken an ominous turn: with Russia, Germany and Japan on the warpath, can France remain free and sovereign in spite of this impending wave of darkness that threatens all humanity?ms:Perancis Gameplay Compared to other factions, French units are all-rounders, and are pretty much average: after all, many nations are using French materiel to wage their wars — the heavy presence of French light armour and aircraft in many nations is good proof of this. True, Germany may have better units, but just how many of their units will you get to see on a frequent basis? The abilities to build your first wonder and research your first government instantaneously can be used to France's advantage in picking your new strategy as quickly as possible, while its tank programme has very low technological overhead costs, meaning that France can obtain its best 4 units: the AMR35 scout tank, the R35 light tank, the S35 SOMUA and the Char B2 rather quickly. Coupled with sufficient support with infantry, artillery and air power and you can easily begin an early blitz against your foes. The only danger that France faces, however, is its lack of variety: its units can't really distinguish themselves, and while its tanks are the "standard" in the game, build too few of them and you will see the Germans bore holes into you, the British outperform you and the Russians simply steamroller over you. In a skirmish game, the best thing you might have to do would be to do all your fighting early, destroying your opponents' industrial power by disrupting their economy and then settle in for the long run. Allegiances France is the only major faction to receive "allegiance" weaponry: With Militarist rule (research Corporatism) Researching Militarism imposes Vichyist rule on France, granting access to Marder and Milice "peasant levy", which should have special abilities. With Liberal rule (research Capitalism) Once a relationship is established with the allies, the French will immediately obtain access to some mostly late-game materials, most notably Spitfires and Blenheim attack bombers from Britain, as well as American Quadmont supply truck/AA halftracks, Sherman and Firefly tanks. Bizarrely, Arab light infantry are available to France regardless what allegiance was chosen, although these units are not available to Spain unless Militarism was chosen. Notes France has four leaders: *Initial leader: Andre Tardieu *Allied occupation: Charles de Gaulle *Fascist occupation: Pierre Laval *Communist occupation: Leon Blum Occupation of France usually triggers whenever an AI major faction, either Italy, Germany or Britain wages war and occupies France. CtW objectives *Until the Atomic Era, maintain control of European France, along with French possessions in Africa and Asia. *Conquer more territory in the Middle East than any other faction before the Atomic Era. *Maintain an average consolidated territorial strength level higher than any other faction by the beginning of the Atomic Era. Notes The biggest problem for France is its political instability. Despite controlling a fair number of imperial possessions and such, the French government is in danger of slipping into chaos, whether instigated by Communist, Nationalist or liberal factions in Europe. Meanwhile, France is also fighting a war of insurgency in Africa and Asia, particularly in Morocco. The French Espionage campaign basically revolves around these, and can also affect its standing with other nations: for instance, if 4 or more outcomes in the espionage campaign are met, it will push France to either supporting the Soviet Union, the Alliance or possibly the Axis, depending on what the player does. The French espionage campaign is special in that it is less straightforward than any other nation. For instance, attempting to protect the status quo in an African colony may preserve France as a liberal nation, while supporting the anticolonialists may result in France joining the USSR, while violent repression might result in France being forced to side with Germany and Italy. The biggest problems for France, beyond the seemingly obvious rearmament of Germany, are the pro-nationalist sentiments simmering in her overseas colonies. Should Japan or China's average consolidated territorial strength levels exceed those of France at the beginning of any turn, there may be rebellion in Indochina, unless France can ensure that the area is garrisoned effectively. Similarly, in Africa France faces another problem: North African territories will rebel, depending on how effective the Turks, Iraqis or Iranians can manage themselves. France will have to find some way to reduce their territorial strength so as to ensure that French colonies won't rebel. Equally problematic is French control of Alsace and Lorraine. France will have to find means of keeping the Germans at bay, for failure to do so may result in rebellion at home, if not war. Territories covered Local Western Europe *Normandy and Brittany *Paris *Gascony *Languedoc Mediterranean *Ajjacio Africa *Senegal-Niger *Algiers *Tunis *Atlas *Sahara *Morocco *West Africa *Antinanaviro *Cameroon Central America *Guyana Southern Asia & Pacific *Indochina *Mekong Delta *Red River Basin *Vanuatu Middle East *Damascus Unique units Infantry *Mounted infantry: African Spahis *Commandos: Colonial Marines 4-6 Tanks *Tankettes: AMR35 2 *Light tanks: FT-17^ 1-2 => R35 3 *Medium tank: Renault D 2 => S35 SOMUA 3 *Heavy: Mk VIII Liberty^ 1-2 => Char B1 3-5 => ARL 44# 6 Artillery *SPGS: Somua SAu40 (you must have researched Somua light tanks to obtain this unit) 2 *Light artillery: Schneider (simply named as "Field gun") *Antitank guns: Hotchkiss 25 mm 2-3 => APX 47 mm 4-5 Other vehicles *White Armored Car => Panhard - shared among many nations *AMC Schneider 2# (is an armed supply unit) Special units *Armed caravan^ *Armed merchant^ *AMC Schneider => Lorraine 38L 4 (Armed supply) *Flamethrower infantry^ *Char B1 flamer Aircraft *Fighter aircraft: Biplane 1 => Nieuport-Delage NiD 29^ 2 => Morane-Saulnier M.S.406^ 3 => Dewoitine^ 3 *Bomber aircraft: Airship => Bloch MB210 4-6 *Special: Caudron R.11, subsumed to Morane-Saulnier, Breguet 693^ 3 Naval units *Capital ship: Richelieu-class battleship - Better than the Vittorio Veneto class but with a higher cost, and some ancillary research required. *Destroyer: Aviso cruiser (shared with Portugal): replaces destroyer; has better firepower, armour and a better propensity for engaging aircraft. France doesn't build destroyers. *Aircraft carrier: **''Béarn'' class - early aircraft carrier, is cheap to build but of inferior quality; can be upgraded later on to **''Joffre'' class. An aircraft carrier known for its cheap cost, but harbours only average torpedo bomber aircraft. National bonuses Prestige: *Start with 1 Science Tech already researched *Receive a free Scholar whenever a new University is built *Military ground units upgrade 25% cheaper *Recieve +3 Food, Timber, Metal, and Wealth for every non-Scout Barracks unit while they are not garrisoned *Governments at the National Assembly are free Unit bonuses *All unique tanks have cost and research effectiveness, save for the ARL 44 *Heavy and medium tanks don't require Military research to be upgraded. Category:Major powers Category:Multiple allegiance powers